Trip Report to MVCI Marbella Beach Resort - 5 Aug - 13 Aug 2010

Hi folks,

We just got back from just over a week in Marbella Spain and I thought I would share a trip report here.

We went to MArbella in Spain and had a wonderful break thanks to Marriott Vacation Club. The trip encompassed a lot of play time with the kids (pools, beach, dance classes, tai chi on the beach during sunrise etc.), but also touring of Malaga - 2100 year old city and the birthplace and training ground of Pablo Picasso; Gibralter and Tarifa (where you can see Africa 7 miles to the South); and Ronda - a town that dates back from the Stone Age and has a history that is very strong in the Roman times, The Islamic/Moorish dynasty, the reclamation, the renaissance and baroque period. A real time capsule of a town, one of the oldest in Europe.

We had a great time and trip report and pictures are to follow. We were really impressed with our stay there. There were a few glitches (like no Spanish Maze activities as the majority of owners staying were Spanish), and the beach was like a giant ashtray with lots of broken glass, but overall, it was so much fun. We toured the property in Feb 2009 and were not majorly impressed, but with the refurbs done that they were doing at the time, and the experience of actually staying and using the facilities (surely the most active Maze programme in all the European resorts), we very much loved it.

Having now stayed at all 4 European resorts, it is difficult to say which is our favorite. They are all so excellent in so many different ways.

Day 1 - Travel Day to Marbella 5 Aug 2010

After a day packing and cleaning, we arrived at London Luton airport a little early (the joy of living 35 miles away) and had an easy transfer from the parking lot.

We had already checked in on line so just a quick drop off of the baggage, through security and a bite to eat. The kids shared a roast beef dinner, mama had an all day breakfast, and I really enjoyed the chicken balti.

Then into the horrid easy jet queue. We were lucky because Jessica is still 5, so we were priority boarded. Once she turns 6, as a family, to be sure to travel together, we will be sure to book the priority boarding in future.

After a good flight, we made it into Malaga 20 mins early, and passport control were a delight. They were pleased the kids greeted them in Spanish. Quickly grabbed our bags, swift pick up of the car (Opal Mireva - not my fav, but it is reasonable amount of space for luggage and the kids). The heat hit us immediately, 30c (90f) It was midnight and the revellers were out in force at the less salubrious resorts, combined with being late and poor road signs, we ended up on the slow seafront road rather than the A7 and then we accidently turned on to the toll road and missing the resort by about 5 miles. I am glad we had been to the region before though, as after a few mis-steps, we finally found it and were checked in by 1am. No queue and a lovely guys checked us in, not too far from the kids club as requested (4212), we knew as we were not owners at this one, a sea view would be a big ask. We were finally settled in by 2am with the kids in bed.

The units here are lovely, usual 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom with the full kitchen, lounge, diner, balcony, and best of all, the jacuzzi bath in the master suite. Love it

3 photos enroute - just the family really on the bus

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192390&id=744599997&l=9d0ecf1f2b

Day 2 - Chillaxing at the Resort 6 Aug 2010

Given the late bedtime for everyone, we agreed our first full day would be a relaxing one. The kids were still in our room for 8:30. Still, a sleep in for them. It became immediately apparent that it was hot, and even hotter inland, so we decided that places like Seville, Cordoba and Granada were likely to be reserved for future visits in a cooler time period. But it was not too bad by the coast.

We headed out to the on site super market for some basics, coffee capsules for the apartment espresso machine and some loved fresh baked pastries. We also had a voucher for a free DVD rental (the kids chose Sharks Tale as we are on the beach). And we spent enough for a complementary bottle of wine. Lovely.

After a great breakfast, it was time to have a stroll around the resort to see where the giant chess, putting green and croquet areas were, as well as the pools and a stroll on the beach. About 50/50 topless. I wondered what the kids would make of it, but thankfully they know it's only a body. They were more interested in the Med and the resort. Lol.

At 1:30, one of the reps visited our apartment with a complimentary bottle of wine, a dining discount card and some advice on the area. Lovely.

We then went off to the local Mercado for provisions. Always so much fun to buy local produce: chorizo, loma, serrano and jarez jamon, fruit and veg, sangria, local beer, fantastic. And we filled a cart for 54 euro (£44 or $69). Perfect.

We enjoyed the evening in the pools, followed by a tapas dinner and the DVD with watermelon. After the kids went to bed, we enjoyed a couple of drinks on the terrace. A lovely day at a lovely resort.

Photos of our chillax day at the resort:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192462&id=744599997&l=6554b681c6

Day 3 - More chilling, dancing, romancing and fireworks

Daddy was the 1st one up this morning, making coffee for Sarah in bed and then getting the kids up, for they wanted to go to the kids club. I always feel a little guilty doing this, but they love it, meet kids from other parts of the world - Spain, UK, US, Holland and Africa today. They had a great time making hats, 3D glasses, bead necklaces as well as playing games.

At the same time, mom and dad had a romantic time together enjoying the in-villa jacuzzi, salsa dance class (much more strenuous than we thought it would be, but fun), the adult pool, and then frozen cocktails on the beach. After we picked them up, Sarah and the kids watched sharks tail again while I made a chilli from scratch using fresh local ingredients including fresh chillis. As a bonus, we made it into frito boats, a real treat for me as they do not do Fritos in the UK. This was enjoyed on the terrace while I enjoyed the local cervaza and mama had the sangria. We then let the kids enjoy the jacuzzi before bed and then spent the evening chilling out watching the Simpsons in Spanish, none of the english tv was very interesting. Then at midnight, there was an amazing firework display over the sea. I love the Marriott Vacation Club.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192465&id=744599997&l=3fd1c6824d

Day 4 - Sales meeting & Malaga - Roman, Moor, Medieval & Picasso

Day 4 - Sales meeting & Malaga - Roman, Moor, Medieval & Picasso

We set an alarm as we had scheduled a meeting with the sales rep to catch up on everything going on. He was the trainer for the European sales team. He reckons Europe will not be getting points, thank goodness, and recognises the US roll out has not been well received. Cancun and Dubai, while on hold, are still in the pipeline, however Tuscany apparently is still a myth, oh well.

There are some great deals on right now. Playa is buy 1 week, get one free. Amazing. Also, the last unit is going to be turned into garden and play space, not selling well by the sounds of things.

It was a very pleasant morning, and after our chat and a spot of lunch in the villa, it was off to Malaga, birthplace of Pablo Picasso. We enjoyed touring around the cathedral (lovely mix of gothic, baroque and renaisance touches, from 1528), plazas and streets of the old town. We then toured the Picasso Museum. Although the kids found it a little dull in parts, they loved the more colourful and famous pieces. We then enjoyed some fresh squeezed orange juice and local cakes, and continued our tour.

The roman amptheatre (1st century BC) and the Alcazba castle (moorish 11th century fortress), as well as the botanical gardens seemed to capture their attention. They also loved all the horsedrawn carts.

Sarah liked the ferries to africa and the replica of Columbus' ship.

After a tour, we then headed out to explore some of the white villages in the mountains (Frigiliana and Nerja) and headed back to the resort.

We decided to have dinner at Charlie's sports bar on the resort as we all fancied different things. We shared a starter of nachos, bbq wings, and quesedillas; mikey had bbq ribs, mama and jess shared a prosciutto pizza, and I had a german curry wurst. We had a pitcher of sangria with it too.

After dinner we took a moonlit stroll on the beach and went past Nikki Beach where all the jet set youngsters were revelling. We had a boogie with the kids on the beach and headed back for a story in bed. Lovely way to finish the day.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192476&id=744599997&l=4eefa7aab2

Nice photos...enjoy your trip

No Ifs, Ands or BUTTS...

davewasbaloo said:

... and the beach was like a giant ashtray with lots of broken glass, ...

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Does this mean there are cigarette butts everywhere?

GaryDouglas said:

Does this mean there are cigarette butts everywhere?

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Sadly yes, they seemed to be everywhere.

Day 6 - Gibralter and Tarifa with views of Africa

Day 6 - Gibralter and Tarifa with views of Africa

After a slow get up, thanks to the kids, and another delivery of free wine from the resort (and some more points in return for some referrals), we got in the car to head to Gibraltar. We were not interested in the shopping or anything of that sort. It was to be about the politics and geology and monkeys. But when we got there, the queue just to even get to the car park was crazy and hardly moving. So after waiting for ages we gave up, got the kids some spanish happy meals and had a picnic by the beach. Then we drove on to Tarifa to visit supposedly the most southerly point in Europe (though they must not be counting any of the European islands). The view of Africa 7 miles away was fab, as was the azur blue atlantic and Med mixing together.

The architecture of the old town was cool, and we made it a point to listen to some of the Morrocan radio in french and arabic with some excellent music.

On the way back, we opted for the toll road to get some swimming in, and managed to swim in the main pool while listening to live jazz guitar and watching the sun set. And more to the point, Mikey did several widths unassisted including jumping in and pulling himself out. I was so proud. And it spurred on his little sister to try too! They are growing up.

Family shower time, then it was dinner out on the Patio. We had gaspachio, followed by cold tapas and salad, with the complimentary rose wine and local beers. Lovely finish to a nice day.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192492&id=744599997&l=073a3e9ef8

Day 7 - the ancient city of Ronda

Day 7 - the ancient city of Ronda

Ronda today, one of my favourite cities in Europe. After breakfast (local fresh baked croissants and donuts), we hopped in the car and headed through the mountains to Ronda. Arriving in the old town (over 3000 years of history), we parked up at one of the churches. The day did not start out very well. Not sure if she was heat beat or car sick, but Jessica was ill (thankfully after getting out of the rental car). Then as we went to find somewhere to clean her up, I tripped on the curb taking a tumble, grazing my knee and elbow, and also damaging my camera. Oops. Thankfully it got much better after that.

Last time we came we explored the "new" town (300 years old equals new - lol) with the bull ring and the playa merced. The kids got tired as they were younger, so this trip was to try to do the other sites we missed last time. And given there is so much here, there are still more things to see on future trips!

We enjoyed exploring the old town, paying the Bandit Museum a visit. It was small, but there were some great paintings, books, weapons and clothes showing off what life of the bandolero was like (€6, £4.90, $7.65 for the 4 of us - kids are free). A lot of the scenes were like Pirates of the Caribbean without the water (even the kids made this connection without prompting).

From there, we headed to the old Moorish walls of the Alcabara from the 13th century, strolling down into the valley through the old medina to the amazing Arab baths (a combo pass to the baths, 4 museums and the new bridge is €9 (£7.35 $11.45) each adult with kids free. The kids really loved the 13th century bath house, being very cool in temperature inside (it was 39c 108f outside, so a great relief). We then found refuge in a bogeda, where we enjoyed an excellent meal for lunch - squid, prawns, curried pork, chorizo in red wine, spanish omelette, white fish croquets with lashings of lemon fanta and litres of water, heaven. Then a light amount of ice cream, and we all felt better.

We walked over the old arab bridge, Puente Viejo from the 11th century, wetting our heads the 18th century Fuente de los Ocho Canos - Fountain of the 8 springs in front of the Iglisia de Padre Jesus church, a lovely little gothic renaissance church of the 16th century.

We then made our way through the 18th century Arco de Felipe V arch through the old madena into the old town. We explored the gardens and churches (some which had been former mosques) and then went to the Palacio de Mondragon, this 16th century Mudejar style building houses the Ronda museum.

The building is great, but the museum was surprising too. They recreated the caves that led to local settlement, then the neolithic structures, wooden huts, and then they showed the importance of the romans, followed by the moors, and then the spaniards. And everything was bilingual.

Finding ourselves in front of the St. Mary's church, converted from the high mosque into a church in the 15th century, we then meandered through the streets to the Giant's House, the Nasrid Palace in the 13th century. Fascinating, but small. However, it gives a wonderful overview of islamic architecture.

We finished our day in the town with a visit to the art gallery of Joaquin Pienado, housed within Moctezuma's Palace and a former neogothic church. Pienado tried many different styles, painting still life, landscapes, commercial art, eroticism (the kids quipped about seeing butts, thankfully they did not pay attention to the harder stuff), and my favs were the cubist versions of Don Quiote and the pointilist depiction of his workshop. He was friends with Picasso, painting Ronda, Paris, San Francisco, Mexico and other lovely areas. It was a great way to finish our visit as all the museums closed at 7.

We then drove back through the mountains towards the Mediterranean and our resort. As the kids napped on the way back, we enjoyed local fresh watermelon and oranges for dinner. Then the kids enjoyed a soak in the jacuzzi bath, and I did likewise after settling them into bed, complete with a glass of tinto. Muy bien

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192499&id=744599997&l=4e60b87d4a

Day 8 - our last full day and day 9 the voyage home

Day 8 - our last full day and day 9 the voyage home

Today was our last full day in Spain and we decided to make the most of the resort.

I used an alarm today to ensure I was up bright and early to join in the sunrise tai chi class on the beach. I enjoyed a 1-2-1 session, my first time doing tai chi, but what a great first time. An hour of stretching and exercise with the sound of the Med rolling in. Wonderful. Then after the session (actually more strenuous than I anticipated, but very relaxing), I enjoyed a stroll on the beach and a dip in the sea (very cold in the morning).

After an outdoor shower (thought of my friend Lady Starlight at this point who enjoys outdoor showers), I took a dip in the large pool, deserted first thing in the morning.

As people started to roll in, I then enjoyed a jacuzzi in the morning sun. At that point, it was time to see if the family were ready for the day, and I picked up some fresh croissants for breakfast.

As we finished breakfast, I shooed Sarah out the door to join the aquarobics class she wanted to do. The kids and I tidied up and popped out to play a game of giant chess. Mikey is getting better, though he still sadly lost.

As the game drew to a close, Mama rejoined us and we headed to the kids pool for them to play in the waterslides. After watching women model the latest in swimwear in the resort fashion show, we then joined in the kids club waterplay. The children participated in a water relay race where they had to carry water in a paper plate over their heads and empty them into a bucket. I was so pleased, the majority of kids were spanish, but “the english” were picked almost first. I was so happy for the kids.

It was a tie game, so they all got prizes, complimentary slushes! It was a great way to say goodbye to the kids club staff. After a swim in the main pool, we headed up to the villa for some gaspachio, iberian meats and fresh spanish bread followed by a little siesta.

In the evening we played on the beach and in the sea. But the beach was crowded and quite dirty, we decided to head back to the pools sooner than we had initially thought. :-(

After another outdoor shower (also washing Jessica's stone and shell collection), I redeemed a voucher for 2 free frozen cocktails (sex on the beach - yum) and the kids paddled in the kid pool. We then enjoyed a long swim in the main pool while listening to the live evening music, this time a saxophonist/flautist as the sun set.

Upstairs for a shower (so great that 4 can fit in at the same time) and a late dinner of pasta and salad finishing off the wine and beer in the kitchen, we gave the kids aftersun massages and they fell asleep.

I popped out to check e-mails and flight details, and to snap off some nightime pictures while Sarah finished packing. It has been a lovely vacation with a mix of sand, sea, sangria, romance, play time, culture, history, geology, and so much more. One of the greatest memories I shall have is perhaps a very small thing though. It was the vacation where my kids learned to swim (to different degrees of competence) and where they vowed to become linguists. A promise I really hope they keep.

Gracias.

Day 9 - Friday 13th

The 5:45 am alarm was really painful after taking it so easy this week. Sarah and I dragged ourselves up, washed dressed and took turns trying to rouse our zombie like offspring, packing and cleaning. We finished up our breakfast items and made use of the express checkout. We left 30 mins later than planned, but thankfully at 7:30 in the morning, traffic was quite light.

We got off at Balamendena to fuel up before dropping the car off to avoid the 130 euro fuel fee (the 50 euros it took to refill the tank was far preferable).

We pulled in to return the car, after a 20 min queue, we dropped the suitcase off (only 5 parties in front of us rather than the monster check in queue - be sure to check in on line in advance to save you lots of time). And then a fairly swift check through security.

Embarking on the last budget flight we are likely to get complimentary priority boarding on, we were soon taking off on a relatively uneventful voyage. They did have some cool new electronic border control machines for EU citizens over the age of 18 (but as we are a mixed nationality family with kids, we did not use them).

As we came out of the terminal, I knew we were home to the UK. Do not get me wrong, as much as I love living in the UK, it was typical post holiday blues - cold (well 15c 60f is cold for August even in the UK), wet, and there were lots of queues - airport, bus and traffic. Welcome home.

Now to plan for our next family adventure.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192512&id=744599997&l=183299ce54

chalucky said:

Nice photos...enjoy your trip

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Thanks, we did.

What a wonderful vacation! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I love history, geology and architecture and I had never heard of Ronda. Now I want to go!

elaine

glypnirsgirl said:

What a wonderful vacation! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I love history, geology and architecture and I had never heard of Ronda. Now I want to go!

elaine

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Then I highly recommend you check it out. It is an amazing city!

Thanks for the great recap. Now I have another destination to add to my wish list.

Cool, my pleasure - also if you go when cooler, Seville, Granada, Cordoba are all within easy reach too.

Ah, the Marbella Beach Resort - our 2nd home.

Mrs M loves it so much here, I swear she'd sell me before she'd sell her weeks here...

Going back in 4 weeks time! It dosen't matter how many times we've been before, we still can't wait!

davewasbaloo said:

...
We enjoyed the evening in the pools, followed by a tapas dinner and the DVD with watermelon. ...
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192462&id=744599997&l=6554b681c6

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Excellent review. How was DVD with Watermelon, never tried that one before! I like my dessert cruncy too:hysterical:

Lol, grammer can be so fun

Dave,
I enjoyed reading your review and the wonderful pictures (especially those darling children!!). Thanks for taking the time to share your experiences with your TUG friends. The Marriotts in Spain are at the top of my list for an exchange, but I think I'd prefer spring or fall.
Great report on your trip. Thanks!!

davewasbaloo said:

We set an alarm as we had scheduled a meeting with the sales rep to catch up on everything going on. He was the trainer for the European sales team. He reckons Europe will not be getting points, thank goodness, and recognises the US roll out has not been well received.


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=192476&id=744599997&l=4eefa7aab2

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OK Dave,
You have to give us more details. In what ways do they recognize the US roll out has not been well received?

Thanks LAXMom - we did have fun, but I do think for sight seeing, spring or autumn would be preferable. Though it was lovely to see the sun. We have been back a week and I swear I have not seen any sun shine since. It has been overcast or rainy the whole time :-(

Off to Disneyland PAris next weekend!

Swice said:

OK Dave,
You have to give us more details. In what ways do they recognize the US roll out has not been well received?

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Sadly we did not go into detail. During the talk, I said I was nervous of the point system, and do not want it here in Europe, but also said I was concerned about making it harder to trade into the US properties.

He responded sayign the Asia points roll out was much better handled and that there have been concerns raised in a number of talks had here in Europe with assurances being given that it will not happen here (I am not convinced) and then he went on trying to pursuade me to buy a week at a US property as EU residents can still buy weeks. We moved the conversation on at that point, though he nodded when I said I lost faith in MArriott over this, the comms and the claw back issues.

Thank you

for sharing your vacation with us, enjoyed it very much.